Been Grinching out lately. For some reason, my brain cannot get in the Christmas mood, which is bitterly disappointing especially when it comes to being around the little ones. Their souls are exploding with Christmas confetti, and I desperately want to be on their level. But there is one simple way to ring in that holiday cheer, and that is with some Christmas art projects for toddlers. So blast some “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and get out your craft supplies to ignite that Christmas spirit.
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Christmas Lesson Plans
Tissue Paper Christmas Trees
Easy Christmas Art Projects for Toddlers
It’s like a dreamy winter wonderland – one where it doesn’t feel too cold and it’s still bright in the middle of the night. The one where you’re making snow angels with your baby in the muffled darkness. The one where you’re making up silly Skelly Cat songs that echo through the drifting snowflakes.
That’s what this first Christmas art activity reminds me of.
All the trees are magically crafted by Mod Podge-ing bright tissue paper squares all over a blank page. Once dry, cut out skinny triangle trees and glue onto a page with a light blue or purple watercolor sky.
This Christmas art project will hopefully remind you of a dreamy, magical winter night filled with love, peace, and sweet, sweet memories.
Materials:
- tissue paper squares
- Mod Podge
- scissors
- watercolors
Christmas tree Ornaments
Christmas Parent Gifts
Need a gift for your preschoolers to give to their parents? Handmade ornaments are such an easy and inexpensive way to do that.
If you are crafty and not in a Grinch-like mood, you can even make salt dough ornaments. It only requires 3 ingredients (4 cups flour, 1 cup table salt, and 1.5 cups of water), but you have to bake them. So, if you’re feeling more like Ebeneezer Scrooge this year, try picking up a pack of Crayola Model Magic. No baking is required.
Just roll out your dough of choice on parchment paper, use cookie cutters to cut out a Christmas shape, and then make a hole for ribbon using a straw. We even added a little personal touch by using our fingers to make the ornament imprints.
Then, leave them out to dry (if using Model Magic) or bake the salt dough ornaments for 2-3 hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. (Just thinking of that time commitment makes me cringe.)
Finally, paint your ornaments and add a festive ribbon to the top.
Materials:
- white Crayola model magic
- cookie cutters
- drinking straws
- paint
- ribbon
Cookie Cutter Painting
Christmas Process Art for Toddlers
Since you have so much time on your hands after the quickest ornament-crafting session in preschool history (see above), you may want to decorate some wrapping paper, or better yet, white gift bags, to add the cuteness factor to your parent gifts.
Dip the thick edge of cookie cutters in holiday-inspired paint colors and press onto your wrapping paper, gift bags, or just a blank paper for an easy Christmas art activity.
The colors, the shapes, the overlapping, the simplicity. It’s a must-do Christmas craft for preschoolers.
Materials:
- cookie cutters
- paint
- plates or trays
- watercolor paper
Christmas Directed Drawings
Step-By-Step Drawings
Guess who finally figured out how to draw? Me!
Where were these step-by-step directed drawings when I was growing up? I just traced coloring sheets on the window or used my trusty Barbie crayon rubbing plates. Just never figured out that drawing thing. Until now.
With guided drawings, anyone can learn to draw, from our young toddlers to grown-up selves. And this week for Christmas, we learned how to draw an elf, a gift, and a reindeer in steps simple enough even for me.
Materials:
- Directed Drawings
- black markers
- crayons
Marble Tree Painting
Christmas Process Art
Okay, if this next one doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit, there’s truly no hope.
Put a piece of green paper in the bottom of a plastic tub or shallow cardboard box. Add a few dots of paint and a couple of marbles. Then, tilt the box back and forth like you’re doing the cha-cha, and bam! Art!
Then, cut the green paper into a pointy triangle and add some star stickers. The final touch is the star on top, and no one needs to fight over who gets to do it this year. Especially if you have this handy-dandy star paper punch.
Materials:
- green paper
- paint
- marbles
- star stickers
- star paper punch
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MORE Christmas Activities for Preschoolers
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